Month: July 2019

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Learn Martial Arts at Home

July 30, 2019 Comments Off on Learn Martial Arts at Home

To learn martial arts at home and improve your skills follow this established approach.
It occurs with many people that while learning at a school or academy they get a lot of theory without any practical lesson or a chance to practice their techniques on a heavy workout bag. Therefore, while choosing which martial art style to learn you should consider one which you could learn at your home on your own without the requirement of learning from such trainers who have absolutely no street fighting experience.
Now not only you will be able to do it but also will be able to apply your knowledge to get your skills to much higher levels. In order to learn martial arts you will have to invest in some equipment’s, which are: mouth and cup guards, 16 ounce fighting gloves, martial art helmet, and some sort of shield for your feet. These types of equipment’s will let you have the feel of a real attacker. It is really necessary to keep practicing the learned martial art moves in order to be able to defend yourself in a street fight.
Another thing which you also have to learn while learning martial arts is that to be mentally ready i.e. free of fear. Fighting is the best way to understand the type of stress you will encounter an actual street fight. You will get to know the feeling when you are hit on the face and how it feels when you constantly punched or kicked by your attacker. Moreover, you really have to know about the sensation that will occur when you are hit on the legs, arms, head, and chest. Once you pass through these mental tests you can start a slight unprotected fight so you get to know how to react when you get hit. And once you have mastered on how to learn martial arts at home you can go on the way on becoming a more skilled fighter.
No doubt by reading books, watching videos or taking classes you can learn at your home, but, unless you don’t fight you won’t learn the timings of making a strike and gaining control over your speed, increasing your range of motion as well as exert yourself so much that you lose your breath. All these things are major factors while you are in a real fighting situation.…

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Who Can Be a Martial Arts Instructor? Part 2

July 28, 2019 Comments Off on Who Can Be a Martial Arts Instructor? Part 2

In part 1 of this article we discussed some of the negative aspects of martial arts teachers. I would prefer not to dwell upon this since there are so many good instructors out there. So, let’s continue with what makes a good instructor.

As I said, YOU CAN BE A MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTOR!

How do I know that? Well, given sufficient desire, motivation and effort there is no reason why this should not be possible.

In reality, not everyone is suited to this career. Some people just desire other things from life. But, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that many martial arts instructors also have other careers. Some are PhD’s, some are medical doctors, some are plumbers, and one famous instructor even pulled a rickshaw when times were hard. It has not always been possible to make a living at the martial arts.

What are some of the requirements?

Excellent training at a reputable school

Sufficient rank (at least in the black belt range)

Permission from your instructor and/or organization to start a school

What are some of the traits of a good teacher?

Nobility of character

Honesty

A good work ethic

A desire to help others

A well-developed talent for teaching

Good business sense

These and other requirements are, I think, necessary for the success of a teacher of the martial arts.

You must bear in mind that teaching classes is not the only responsibility of the teacher. One of my teachers once said to me when I told him of my desire to be a teacher, “You can either be a good teacher or you can be a businessman – not both.”

This is one of the few pieces of advice I chose not to believe. In this day and age you must be both. Unless you are born with a sliver spoon in your mouth (rich) you will have to be responsible for all of the operations of your school. You will have to be a businessman as well as a teacher.

I will say here that while teaching the martial arts can lead to a comfortable and satisfying life-style, the profit motive cannot and should not be the primary motivation for the aspiring teacher. There is a lot of hard work to do even after the hard work of learning your art.

Starting and running a school can be tricky. You need patience and perseverance but the rewards can be great.…

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Tips to Help Parents Choose the Best Martial Art School for Their Kids

July 23, 2019 Comments Off on Tips to Help Parents Choose the Best Martial Art School for Their Kids

With the increasing pressure facing children today, most parents wonder if their kids should take martial arts. Since most parents don’t have a background in this area, they don’t pursue it and miss a great opportunity for their children.
But kids are curious about martial arts. A carefully structured program from a good school will bring out the best in children. Such a program will offer kids a host of benefits that will help them grow and develop. It will give your child structure and they will gain self confidence they will retain.
If you are thinking about lessons for your son or daughter, here are a few items to consider.
First, make a list of a few schools in your local area. Try to select places that are close to your home or children’s school. Selecting places that are convenient will increase the likelihood you will attend, even during the days you really don’t feel like it.
Check to see if the schools have a presence online. Most should have a web site, Facebook page or other internet presence, which will give you an idea of the school’s philosophy, instructors and more. This will make your more prepared when you visit. But be careful when reading review sites, which aren’t a substitute for a visit.
Today, you can find almost anything on YouTube. Martial arts videos are no different. Browse YouTube to see if the school or its students have posted any videos. If they do, the videos will give an insight into school, instructors and students.
When selecting schools, don’t worry about the martial arts style. The martial arts style your child learns is not as important as choosing a school in which they feel comfortable.
Plan a visit to each martial arts school you have selected. This may be the most important step in the process. Sit in on a class. Make sure to speak to the school’s Master Instructor.
Talk with other parents. The other parents will give the best insight into what the school is really like. Find out who teaches the kids classes? Does the Master Instructor lead the classes or one of the assistants?
Ask if the school has any specials? Many will give you a uniform and two weeks of lessons.
Most schools allow kids to start at age 5 or in the first grade. Beginning while your child is young is the best time to start.…

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How The Arts Teaches Kids To Try New Things

July 20, 2019 Comments Off on How The Arts Teaches Kids To Try New Things

Okay, so how many of you remember are about 12 years old and you are sitting in school and your teacher asks a question to the class. You are pretty sure that you know the answer, but you hesitate. You don’t raise your hand. Something inside of you says “don’t!”…”what if you are wrong.” Another eager students puts their hand up and calls out the answer. It was the exact answer you were going to you said nothing. That happened to me so many times in school. I felt so silly for not trying, for not believing that I could be right.
Why do we doubt ourselves so much? I get that no one likes to be wrong, but to not try something because of the risk of being wrong limits us in so many ways – grades in school, relationships with others, job opportunities and so on. It closes off incredible possibilities just waiting to come into our lives. Learning from trying and making mistakes is what makes us grow and change, and it is only through change that great things happen. I believe it is so important for young people to hone this skill. Improv style acting is a fantastic way to practice this. There are no rules in improv (except that you can’t say no, which many acting instructors will explain), so jumping into a scene and just going for it, is a huge risk that teaches many valuable lessons. You have no idea if the scene you are creating will make sense, be funny, or if your character choices will resonate with the audience. But you keep trying and putting yourself out there, and if you have a great teacher they will give you feedback about what you are doing well. Sometimes the scenes will be amazing and sometimes not, but you keep learning from the mistakes.
And if it doesn’t work? Most of the time we anticipate the reaction of others to be far worse than they actually are. When you make a mistake are you laughed at? Ridiculed? Publicly humiliated? Usually not. But we make the possibility of that happening so real in our head that it stops us from trying. Our thoughts have an incredible power over us, so why not start to shift what we think in a more positive way.
I spent years in an improve theatre school as a teen and looking back I see that it taught me so many things beyond acting skills. The consistent act of jumping into the unknown and trying something new created a “muscle memory” that allowed me to keep doing that in other aspects of my life as an adult. There is always the risk that it may not work, but what if it does? You never know unless you try, so as you all consider your goals for 2012, consider…

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Tips For Renting AV Equipment For Your Next Event

July 13, 2019 Comments Off on Tips For Renting AV Equipment For Your Next Event

Audio-visual equipment is always sort of a sore spot for most companies. While large companies have their own AV departments that have access to the newest equipment, small and medium companies prefer to rent; given how infrequently that they use the equipment it makes sense. However, this means that those same companies need to deal with AV rental companies on a regular basis, and that can lead to a couple of major problems. With a little bit of planning, however, those problems can be minimized and the rental company can even help you in some situations.

The biggest problem is the nature of the contract. It can only help to go over the contract with a magnifying glass in order to find areas where you can save some money. The most onerous clause present in a lot of contracts is the necessity of hiring the AV company to handle the equipment itself. While this does make some sense, especially if the renting company has limited expertise, it makes less sense if the place where the equipment will be used already has an AV person as part of the rental cost. There are other fees in the contract that can be negotiated so going through the contract may be worth looking at for other hidden fees and requirement issues.

It is also necessary to establish a relationship with the AV rental company. Not only does this mean that the company is used to your needs and can thus offer advice on which equipment is best for your particular situation, but it also means that some sort of discount deal can be established, especially for frequent use. This means that an AV rental company in Dallas can recommend an extra cooling fan if they expect the days to be extra hot that day. It also means that they may be willing to rent you some of their more commonly used gear; while it means that the equipment may have issues it does mean that the equipment will be available at a reduced cost.

The equipment should be thoroughly inspected when it is rented and when it is returned, and that someone should be there when it is inspected by the rental company. Even if the equipment is sub-par you do not want to be responsible if anything happens to it, and the easiest to ensure that is making sure that the equipment is kept in the same condition as you rented it. While most companies are willing to ignore some wear due to use it is advised that this is not counted on it and that any damage be noted when it is received. If necessary pictures should be taken of the equipment. This not only ensures that the full deposit will be returned but also that there is no cost to replace equipment.

The equipment must be delivered to the site where it will be used and secured at the location. Not only does this means that the equipment should be guarded but that only trained on it should use it. The equipment needs to have someone keep an eye on it to ensure that nothing happens to it, but an untrained person should not be allowed to use it to avoid damaging it. The rental company will not accept any excuse when it comes to its equipment being damaged, and even the slightest scuff can result in charges; treating it like the delicate equipment it is can only help.

In short, paying attention to the contract, inspect the equipment, and treating it carefully can only help to build a relationship with the rental company, and that relationship can help in a number of ways. Keep all of this mind and the rental cost will be kept at a minimum.

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